UK surname
Derived from the English place name Hawking, which refers to a settlement associated with hawks or falconry.
In the 1881 census there were 28 people recorded with the Hawkinson surname, ranking it #29,646 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 10, ranked #37,599, down from #29,646 in 1881.
The strongest historical links point to Stockport, Doncaster and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include No data.
Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hawkinson is 233 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 64.3%.
1881 census count
28
Ranked #29,646
Modern count
10
2016, ranked #37,599
Peak year
1861
233 bearers
Map years
2
1861 to 1891
Key insights
Map
Back to topThe map shows where the Hawkinson surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.
Distribution map
Hawkinson surname density by area, 1891 census.
Timeline
Back to topThe table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.
| Year | Period | Count | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1851 | historical | 57 | #23,092 |
| 1861 | historical | 233 | #10,501 |
| 1881 | historical | 28 | #29,646 |
| 1891 | historical | 132 | #19,976 |
| 1901 | historical | 93 | #23,689 |
| 1911 | historical | 49 | #27,894 |
| 1997 | modern | 9 | #37,214 |
| 1998 | modern | 5 | #37,861 |
| 1999 | modern | 12 | #36,806 |
| 2000 | modern | 8 | #37,264 |
| 2001 | modern | 6 | #37,456 |
| 2002 | modern | 9 | #37,051 |
| 2003 | modern | 10 | #36,964 |
| 2004 | modern | 11 | #36,969 |
| 2005 | modern | 10 | #37,180 |
| 2006 | modern | 9 | #37,345 |
| 2007 | modern | 10 | #37,335 |
| 2008 | modern | 10 | #37,371 |
| 2009 | modern | 10 | #37,446 |
| 2010 | modern | 13 | #37,215 |
| 2011 | modern | 16 | #36,932 |
| 2012 | modern | 11 | #37,394 |
| 2013 | modern | 12 | #37,342 |
| 2014 | modern | 11 | #37,462 |
| 2015 | modern | 12 | #37,371 |
| 2016 | modern | 10 | #37,599 |
Geography
Back to topHistorical parish links are strongest around Stockport, Doncaster, Manchester, Liverpool and Chelmsford, Broomfield, Writtle, Widford, Chignal St James, Chignal Smealy. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.
The modern local-area list points to No data. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.
| Rank | Parish | Area |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stockport | Cheshire |
| 2 | Doncaster | Yorkshire, West Riding |
| 3 | Manchester | Lancashire |
| 4 | Liverpool | Lancashire |
| 5 | Chelmsford, Broomfield, Writtle, Widford, Chignal St James, Chignal Smealy | Essex |
| Rank | Area | District |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No data | No data |
Forenames
Back to topThese lists show first names that appear often with the Hawkinson surname in historical and recent records.
Recent female names
Recent male names
Modern profile
Back to topModern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Hawkinson, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.
These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.
The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.
UK neighbourhood type
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Nationally, the Hawkinson surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as No data, within No data. This does not mean every Hawkinson household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.
London neighbourhood type
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Within London, Hawkinson is most associated with areas classed as No data, part of No data. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.
Broadband speed
The modern neighbourhood pattern for Hawkinson is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of No data.
Area snapshot
This describes the area pattern most associated with Hawkinson, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.
Origin
Back to topThe surname Hawkinson is of English and Scandinavian origin. It is a patronymic surname, meaning it derives from the name of an ancestor. The name originated in the Danelaw region of England, areas colonized by Danish Vikings in the 9th and 10th centuries.
Hawkinson likely emerged as a variant of the more common surname Hawkins, which itself derives from the Old English personal name Hafoc, meaning "hawk." The -son suffix denotes "son of." Thus, Hawkinson would have originally referred to the son of someone named Hafoc or Hawk.
Early recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval English records. A John Haukynesson is listed in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379. The surname also appears as Haukynsone in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1523.
Variant spellings found in historical documents include Haukineson, Haukinsone, and Haukynson. These reflect the name's evolution from Old Norse to Middle English orthography and pronunciation.
Notable individuals bearing the Hawkinson surname include William Hawkinson (1619-1704), an early English settler in Maryland. John Hawkinson (1742-1831) was a prominent landowner and militia captain during the American Revolutionary War.
Elizabeth Hawkinson (1756-1824) was among the first European women to cross the Appalachian Mountains into Kentucky. Andrew Hawkinson (1797-1872) represented Illinois in the US House of Representatives from 1847 to 1849.
In Sweden, Carl Hawkinson (1810-1894) was a noted entomologist who made significant contributions to the study of Scandinavian insect species. His collections are housed at the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
1881 census detail
Back to topThese tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hawkinson surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.
Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 11 Hawkinsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.52x.
| County | Total | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Lancashire | 11 | 3.52x |
| Cheshire | 3 | 5.16x |
| Middlesex | 3 | 1.14x |
| Glamorgan | 2 | 4.36x |
| Staffordshire | 2 | 2.25x |
| Warwickshire | 2 | 3.01x |
| Durham | 1 | 1.28x |
| Gloucestershire | 1 | 1.94x |
| Hampshire | 1 | 1.85x |
| Royal Navy | 1 | 31.85x |
Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Broughton In Salford in Lancashire leads with 5 Hawkinsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 174.83x.
| Place | Total | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Broughton In Salford | 5 | 174.83x |
| Northen Etchells | 3 | 4285.71x |
| St Giles Cripplegate | 3 | 857.14x |
| Milverton | 2 | 1052.63x |
| Sutton | 2 | 190.48x |
| Swansea Town | 2 | 53.19x |
| Toxteth Park | 2 | 18.90x |
| Wednesbury | 2 | 90.09x |
| Cheltenham | 1 | 25.13x |
| Eccleston In Prescot | 1 | 63.69x |
| North Bailey South | 1 | 2500.00x |
| North Meols | 1 | 32.68x |
| Portsea | 1 | 9.46x |
| Royal Navy | 1 | 37.31x |
These are the female first names most often recorded with the Hawkinson surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
FAQ
In 1881, 28 people were recorded with the Hawkinson surname. That placed it at #29,646 in the surname rankings for that year.
The latest modern count shown here is 10 in 2016. That gives Hawkinson a modern rank of #37,599.
Derived from the English place name Hawking, which refers to a settlement associated with hawks or falconry.
The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Hawkinson bearers relative to the surrounding population.
The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.